Place: Reviews & Ratings

Reviews by qua17:

4.41/5 rDev +5.8%vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5

I traveled to this place based upon the good reviews on BA and the place did not disappoint. I was impressed by the knowledge of the staff and by their willingness to help. The selection of singles was good (not great) but they were willing to break a couple six packs to allow me to try some beers I had a hankering for. The fact that they had so much refrigerated brew was a plus. The beverage company had a good selection of Michigan beers and I was able to stock up on some Founders that I had yet to try. (509 characters)

As a recent addition to the Traverse City area, I've just discovered the Beverage Company. I've never had a bad trip. Every time I go in, the attentive staff is there to greet, suggest and scrounge up whatever it is I seem to be looking for (Alas, no Pliny).

I've gone in for day-at-the-beach beer runs and asked for cases of ice cold crap-beer they didn't have in the cooler, only to have a runner go retrieve whatever my need was from the backroom.

I've gone in with an idea in mind for what I wanted to pair with dinner, to have multiple suggestions tossed my way by the knowledgeable staff, without whom, I'd never have tried the 'Lagunitas Sucks Brown Shugga Substitute Ale', which scared me away because of the name, but keeps drawing me back because of the taste. (773 characters)

Beverage Company is an excellent place to shop. And if you want something that is not in stock, they will gladly order it for you. All the staff that I have interacted with have been knowledgeable, helpful and friendly. Several times I have ordered something special; the product came quickly and I was called when it arrived.

Beverage company is setup more like a warehouse than a boutique store. The emphasis is on value and service, not necessarily on atmosphere. However, that is no reason not to shop here. This is the best place to shop in the TC area. (560 characters)

Going off of Beerfly, I stopped in here one evening. It was nightime and I thought the place was closed. Parking lot was vacant and dark. The lights in the store appeared to be off but it was the window filters that made the store look dim from the outside. Staff was friendly and helpful. I was left to browse the shelves. Did not spend too much time in the store but I was impressed with the selection. Just about everything Short's currently bottles. Large selection of other Michigan brews. A couple of interesting imports as well. A nice singles selection but could use improvement but I understand they will break up sixers for you. Definatly should stop here for your beer buying needs. (693 characters)

Very glad I stopped in at this store. I walked in and the vibe was great. Everyone was busy working but I was immediately greeted and asked if I needed help. The quality of the store is great – nice and quaint clean store located off the main strip in Traverse City.

The service is for sure a five. The (I assume) owner and his wife were ringing people up while a few other employees while a few other employees were stocking the store. Everyone was insanely nice and helpful. They pointed me out to the beers I asked for and also immediately recommended a few other fun things they had just got in.

The selection was a bit small but very solid for such a small store. They had just gotten an older case of Hopslam in (a nice surprise – I know it is past its prime but it was still nice to try a bottle or two for the heck of it). They also had a few other beers that I have not seen elsewhere in the other few stores I’ve been to in Michigan. In addition, the prices were great! I will be going back there in the next day or two in order to stock up a few things to take back home to Chicago with me. A must stop when in Traverse City. (1,144 characters)

I was in Northern Michigan for a week's vacation and this place came highly recommended. Upon walking in the door, we were immediately greeted by somebody working in the craft section. He asked if I knew what I was looking for, or if he could be of any guidance. I was there looking for things that I can't get home in Ohio or Indiana, and the store did not disappoint.

I was hoping to find some things that Short's didn't have in stock at the brewpub, or other MI brewery one offs, and I was pleasantly surprised. They had a few Short's beers that all otehr places had been out of, and singles of them, so I wasn't obligated to buy a 6pk. When there was something I wanted a single of, they happily opened a 6pk so I could get just a bottle or two, thats what I call customer service.

I would highly recommend Beverage Company to anybody looking for a great bottle shop with a knowledgable friendly staff. (908 characters)

Visited while on vacation in TC on 6/20/11. The guy at the cash register noticed my IL plates and immediately struck up a conversation when I walked in. I told him I heard they had a good selection and he referred me to the "beer expert" who was working stocking shelves. He offered to help and asked if I had any questions.

I was looking for MI beers I can't get in IL, like Shorts, North Peak, Dragonmead, Arcadia special releases, etc. They have a solid singles selection, so I picked up a mix six of all MI beers and a sixer of North Peak Burly Belgo IPA, which is very good by the way.

Very friendly staff. I totally recommend a visit if you are in the area. (665 characters)

To bad this place is an hour away so the only way that I get to make trips to here is to bribe the wife with Outback or Red Lobster.

Great location nice store front, lots of parking, nice size sign out by the road.

Tons of beer, Big coolers filled with singles, This place has a very big selection i don't think that it would be possible to leave with out something. They also get all kinds of rare beers and limited brews(kbs, Bigfoot, ect). To bad you cant mix and match all the beers in the store like you can at Oliver T's.

The workers there are exceptional they acknowledge every person that walks into the door and are quick to let you know how a beer is and recommend more beers of that style.

I will be making many more trips to traverse as long as the wife never catches on to my devious plan (809 characters)

The Store is a nice size and has a good atmosphere. It is always clean and the stock is well organized. Besides beer they also have a good array of wine and spirits.

They have a nice selection of craft beers both cold and warm, including some cases that are stacked up between the beer isle and the bottle return room. They are definitely Michigan centric, with a lot of space given to Short's and other more regional breweries. That is fine though since Michigan breweries make some of the best beer in the world.

They have a mix a six section that is pretty good and while it would of course be better if you could mix anything in the store, they do a good job of having stuff in there that you would want to try. I would say prices are very reasonable, but I just moved here from Philadelphia so everything seems dirt cheap to me.

Service is top notch and not only are the employees helpful, but they also are really cool and genuinely nice. I cannot say enough about the quality of the people that work at BevCO

My only real complaint is that the selection could be improved a bit. Coming from Philly I realize I need to temper my expectations some, but I think it is a bit lacking in the Belgian department especially. I could not find any sort of non-fruit lambic, and sours in general seem scarce. I do understand that they do special orders though, so perhaps I will ask about that next time I am in.

All in all I highly recommend The Beverage Company to those who are visiting TC and looking for regional brews, or those who live in TC and are looking for great service, a nice selection and decent prices. (1,679 characters)

Stopped here in search of a few of the minor brewery beers I might have not gotten yet. Line up was pretty consistent with a typical beer store, its appeal in having quite a bit of Shorts and other releases. Didn't find too much in the more rare department and prices were ok. Man there was happy to help but it seemed everything he had I managed to pick up in the previous days through the myriad of other beer stores. Probably the place to stop in Traverse City for craft beer, and would recommend to travelers in the area who haven't gotten their fill in the southern part of the state. Would be better if you could build your own sixer. (640 characters)

In late 2009 I started trying some of the craft beers since I lost my interest in the Budweiser type macros a long time ago. When I first started going to the beverage company to buy gin, rum and vodka but wanted a break from them sometimes with a good beer and the staff was very helpful in recommending different beers to try. I do like that they have some beers sold individually, but do wish they would sell the individual bottles a little cheaper than they do, otherwise I have no problem with the price. I have tried a few of there recommendations and most of them I have been satisfied with. I really like the pumpkin ales and the Shorts Black Cherry Porter they suggested I try, but there were a couple I did not like. I enjoyed my experience here and I'll be going there many more times. The only thing I didn't like was that most of the micros were not kept cold, so if you want something cold right away have to buy the better known micros or any of the macros that are sold practically everywhere. (1,009 characters)

I was very happy to find this place. I was on a mission to find some Short's Strawberry Short's Cake and Hangin Frank. This was the only place in Traverse City that had any and when I called, they knew exactly what I was looking for. Several other recommended beer shops were not exactly familiar with these beers. Also the two staff people at the Beverage Company seemed to be fairly knowledgeable about beer in general, and were very friendly and helpful. I was also looking for information on Leelenau Brewing Co. and he brought out a couple of bottles that their distributor had brought in as samples. The overall selection was as decent as any bottle shop including all of the Michigan Breweries that I would be looking for (Short's, Bells, Dark Horse, New Holland, Arcadia, Jolly Pumpkin, Founder's, Dragonmead, and more) as well as a decent selection of imports including a nice Belgian Selection. They had both warm and cold, and singles available. This will be my go to beer store whenever I am in Traverse City from now on. (1,033 characters)

Newer location visited-1116 Carver just off of Garfield. Enthusiastically greeted upon entering.Approximately two aisles of beer with many cases stacked on floor. Good amount of cooler space for beer, about two-thirds macro, one-third craft. Big wine selection in dimly lit area away from beer section. Many Michigan beers represented, such as Short's, Bell's, Arcadia,North Peak, Jolly Pumpkin, etc. Other craft beer offerings such as Stone, Dogfish Head, and numerous Belgians are available, but at about a 2 to 3 dollar mark-up for the bombers to what I am used to in Toledo. On the plus side, you can "mix-a-sixer" with singles available in the cooler. I got a nice selection of Michigan brews to try.Overall, a nice place to find craft brews in TC, with a very friendly and helpful staff-a must if your looking for local craft brews! (840 characters)

I was born and raised in Traverse City so I have had the opportunity to visit all of the stores here and this in my opinion is best Traverse City has to offer in beer selection. Stacks of cases on the sales floor and two aisle facings of room temp beer plus a few cold case doors dedicated to craft beers as well as lots of BMC selections. They pretty much offer most of what is available in our area and the employees seem to enjoy thier jobs. They offer reccomendations and actually know what they are talking about. Don't bother stopping anywhere else. (555 characters)

I stopped into this place on my way back from the Cherry Festival. After sitting out in the hot sun for three hours this place seemed like an oasis. Tons of hard liquor, wine and beer. The store is set up nicely and it is very clean, along with being an adequate size. I hate going into a cramped beer store trying to edge my way around $300 displays of beer. All of the beers I looked at were fresh. Their selection is pretty good for the area. I would say around 250-300 different beers maybe, sligthly better than the other stores I've visited in the area. Service was fantastic. The guy at the register asked if I wanted any recommendations and he gave me some good ones. He also talked with me a bit about beer at the register. Their stuff was a bit pricey, but it was pretty much right on par with other store's in the area. A definite recommendation if you're in the area. (879 characters)

I frequented their previous location on 8th St. for years, but these new digs are sweet (Garfield & Carver). A gargantuan store indeed - I'd say, about the size of an Olympic swimming pool and probably the coolest store I've seen north of Grand Rapids. The Owner, Jeff, thought of every detail and spared no expense.

I've traveled the world and I think this is how a party store should be, really. The perfect model; focusing on the beverages primarily, no gimmics or unneccesary products; seems like they've zeroed in on Alcohol, Cigars, and snacks. Part of it is almost set up like a warehouse, in that the cases of beer are stacked in 4-6 ft.high isles and against the walls. Its a little overwhelming, truthfully. I wont mention the scope of the wine & liquor, but their beer selection is definatly the BEST! just a guess, but probably close to 350 craft and micro brews. Their coolers span the enire length of the store on one side, liquor & wine on the other side . Everything is truley cutting-edge. And now that they've settled in- they have Jack's and Geyer's beat, no questions asked. Albeit all are great stores, Overall, Bevco reins supreme! (no offense.)

The one time I couldn't find the [Sam Smith's] Imperial Stout I was after, they got it in the next week. They advertise catering to the specialty side of it - ordering stuff you cant find elsewhere. The employees seem friendly and definatly knowledgable- and all about broadening their selection. The only complaint I have is they dont have home brewing supplies and you can't mix sixers. If you are in the Traverse area, I highly recomend the Beverage Co. I've been shopping here for a long time and I always take pride in supporting local businesses- Think Globally, Act Locally! Dude. (2,137 characters)

Not as good as a selection of beers as jacks market and you can't do the mixer sixer. however they have a fantastic selection of michigan beers and great prices. best prices in town for michigan beers, and pretty cheap belgians. the chouffe's they offer are all 7.99 as well as the jolly pumpkin bombers. unibroue's are pretty cheap, too. excellent wine selection. as previously mentioned, not very thrilled with the knowledge about the beers, but we're all beer snobs here, so who cares? friendly service.

Ok, this is an edit based on past review. It is now 2010 and time to update. I go there very often, and they have a much better selection than jack's now and the best prices in town. Definitely the only place to go if you are in TC. (740 characters)

Pretty dumpy looking on the outside but they had a nice selection overall. Nothing impressive but a good collection of imports, Belgians, and locals. Nothing too impressive as far as the local stuff goes but some decent offerings from Dark Horse, Arcadia, and Arbor Brewing. The lady behind the counter was friendly and very helpful. I wouldn't come back but only because it was quite a distance from where we were staying. If it was closer, I'd probably stop by more. I would probably go to Jack's first but I will stop by again for sure. (539 characters)

These guys have a decent selection (perhaps 75 micros choices and lots of swill), however most of the beers are only available in 6'ers which severly dampens their prospect of me buying things from them. Their prices are relatively reasonable compared to other liquor stores in TC. The staff doesn't really know much about the beer they sell, they cater more towards wine buyers. Service is good, but the majority of the micro selection is at room temp. They hose you on single prices, marking them way above what they would be if divided equally from the 6'er. Go to Jack's first, then here if you can't get what you need. They will go out of their way to try to find stuff for you and order it, as long as you're planning on getting a case or so, calling their distributors to see if they can get it for you. (810 characters)